In A Wedding Dress
by calleighstorres
Summary: Calleigh gets an unexpected visitor while trying to find the perfect dress for her wedding day. CaRWash (friendship?). Set in Season 7. Spoilers for 5x22.


**Disclaimer -sings!- I still don't ownnn any of the CSI franchisees! **

**HOW WE MET IN A WEDDING DRESS STORE. **

"Ryan?!" she exclaimed in disbelief at the stranger who was stood at the end of the runaway. "Too long." he said, observing the dress. "The time we haven't seen each other or the dress?" "Both." She nodded and walked back through the curtains into the changing room to find a better dress. Calleigh was getting married to her fiancé in a few months and wanted to find the perfect dress. How Ryan found her, she would never know. They were good friends though, so it only made sense he knew her. And somehow where she would be. The tailor found the second to past dress.

It was floor length but didn't have a trail, the netting of the dress overlapped the dress exactly. And the dress had off the shoulder sleeves which she loved as well. It fitted perfectly. The style was that it was supposed to show off a bit of bust. Which had worked to their favour. Her blonde hair that had been neatly braided in a single braid was decorated with a pretty flower clip before she walked out again. Maybe a man's opinion would be good for her. Ryan was one of her close friends and it wouldn't hurt to see what he thought of this dress.

When she came out, he had to keep his jaw from dropping. "Wow- uh, you look _incredible._ That dress is 100% you, Cal." The petite woman smiled broadly. "Thank you! This is my final choice!" "Definitely the one." he confirmed, still in utter disbelief of her in a wedding dress. "Okay, wait here. I'll be right back and then we'll go for lunch!" The younger man nodded and agreed to wait for her. She told the lady that this dress is the one she was taking. The tailor thought she made the right choice as well.

"Is that your fiancé out there?"

"No.. no.. He's my best friend, actually."

"Well, he's hooked." she joked, unzipping the dress so Calleigh could take it off. "He's a cutie, really." Duquesne said, stepping out of the wedding dress and going to the dressing room to put her normal clothes back on.

Once she was now fully dressed in her normal clothes, the tailor handed her the dress in the plastic bag and she went over to the till, where Ryan was waiting for her. "Miss, you don't need to pay." "But isn't this dress like 2,000$ ?" The woman nodded at Wolfe. "Stop doing that! Now I own you $2000!" He shook his head as they left the store together and walked along the streets.

"I can't believe you paid for my wedding dress."

"Think of it as.. my gift, to you as I won't be there."

She was bemused by his sudden confession. "You won't?" They reached the restaurant and he shook his head. "I can't attend something I wasn't invited to." The blonde couldn't believe it. She hadn't invited him to her wedding, and yet his invite was the first one she wrote. His name was down first. "You should have had an invite." Calleigh sighed, as they entered the place together and sat at a table in the corner, by the window. He said it was no big deal, but she insisted that she had sent an invite. It was the first one she posted so it should've gotten to him first. "Calleigh, don't stress about it. I'm not mad. Yeah, I'm a bit miffed, but that's life. Maybe your fiancé just doesn't like me. Or want any males coming to this fiasco."

Before she could argue another point, the waitress arrived to take their order. "We'll just have the pizza with two beers, thank you." he told the waitress. She nodded and noted it down, before walking away to get their order to the kitchen. "You're not paying this time, you hear me?" "Relax, it was my inheritance money from my grandfather's national business in his specialized gun ranges. It's how I got a job at the gun range so quickly, my grandfather owns them." She was in awe. "So you're pretty much a wealthy cop now." "I used most of it to pay off my student loans, and the last bit for your dress. He told me I should do something good with the money.. and I figured, your dream wedding dress is worth cashing out on."

Calleigh didn't know what to say. She had met his grandfather a few times. He told her that Ryan wasn't as strong as he looked and needed someone watching out for him. She promised she would look out for him. And Ryan using the last of his inheritance to pay for her wedding dress.. she wanted to cry. "Your grandfather was a great man." He nodded. "And he liked you. He's never really liked any of the friends I've brought to Boston with me... so I guess that means you've got something good about you. He was Boston's greatest cop until he retired at 60. I wanted to be just like him, and I've let him down with the stupid gambling!" This is what he meant.

She took his hand that was on the table, and held it softly. "Hey, you listen to me, Ryan - you are an amazing cop who wants nothing more than to get justice for the victims of murder. Despite your mistakes, you have risen and done you best every time. That's all I ask of you. I know I've only seen you cry once.. however.. I get it. And you have made your grandfather proud. The last time went to Boston and saw him, he told me to look out for you. I want to do that. Because I care about you and don't want to see you suffer." Wolfe looked up at his friend. "Thank you." Calleigh smiled at him, and he smiled too.. only for their stuff to arrive right after.

"Looks like we got lucky."

"I got lucky, Ryan. Seriously.. thank you for paying for my dress."

"Anything for a friend who deserves the absolute best for her special day."

A red color formed in her cheeks. She was blushing. "You have my personal invite to my wedding. There." "You know I'd go anyway?" Calleigh laughed. "Of course you would."


End file.
